Childhood Bereavement

Childhood Bereavement

New York Life responds when a loved one dies with financial support, but we also recognize that families have emotional needs when they suffer a loss. The New York Life Foundation has long been focused on serving children in need. In 2008, the Foundation expanded that focus to include an initiative to help children deal with the loss of a parent, caregiver or sibling and to help parents deal with the emotional turmoil that results from the death of a close family member.

Resources:
It is often extremely difficult to know how to help a child recover from the loss of a parent, caregiver, sibling or anyone else who was an important part of his or her life. As part of New York Life’s commitment to providing resources that bolster a child’s ability to cope with and overcome the pain of grieving, we have compiled important information on the topic and published a booklet that is valuable reading for any adult who knows a grieving child. Please see the links to the resources below.

• After a Loved One Dies – How Children Grieve
• • Click Here to Order After a Loved One Dies
• Después que Muere un Ser Querido - Cómo Enfrentan el Duelo los Niños
• National Bereavement Resource Guide by The Moyer Foundation
• Comfort Zone Camp: New York Life Video
• Hello Grief, Comfort Zone Camp's Web site for grieving kids
• Camp Erin Video
• Sesame Workshop: When Families Grieve

We have partnered with two national organizations that together help thousands of children cope with their loss.

About Comfort Zone Camp
Comfort Zone Camp is the nation’s largest bereavement camp. Comfort Zone Camps are offered free of charge to children ages 7-17 who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling or primary caregiver. The camps are held year-round in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Virginia. Comfort Zone Camps create an environment where grieving children can have fun and break the isolation death often brings while learning valuable coping skills for their daily lives.

About Camp Erin
Camp Erin is the largest nationwide network of bereavement camps for young people ages 6-17 who have experienced the death of someone close to them. It is a weekend-long experience filled with traditional camp activities combined with grief education and emotional support, facilitated by grief professionals and trained volunteers. At Camp Erin, children are comforted knowing that there are other children who understand exactly what they are feeling and experiencing and they have an opportunity to address their feelings and memorialize their loved ones.